Friday, 17 April 2015

Who is Allowed to Foster a Child in the UK?

The decision to foster is one that can have a tremendous impact on the lives of youngsters. Children who move into foster care are able to obtain the love of a family and the experience of living in a loving household that they may have been denied in the past. Also, sometimes, children's biological families are in emergency situations, and the young ones must live with a foster family for a short period of time.

Source: Fosteringteam.co.uk

People who are interested in helping these children may back away from the process because they do not feel as though they are qualified. Singles, homosexual couples, heterosexual couples, extended families and so forth are all allowed to apply for the fostering process. However, both or all parties must commit to having an active role in fostering the children. Aside from the application and assessment process, the major requirement for foster families is that they have a spare room for the child whom they foster.
The application process is detailed and extensive to ensure that the children are placed into a safe, nurturing and loving environment. People will need to submit their applications, and they will have to work closely with a social worker. During these discussions, the interested party's suitability as a foster parent, or as foster parents, will be assessed. Successful completion of this process, as well as the background checks, is what leads people to become foster parents.

Some wonder if they are allowed to have pets, and yes, they are. However, in some cases, a particular pet may not be suitable for a particular child. Others also wonder if they need to have a driver's license to foster a child. While a driver's license is not a requirement for fostering, having one can help the process and assist with the fostering.